CALGARY – The University of Calgary men's volleyball program was deeply saddened Wednesday to learn of the death of former Dino Jonathan Walsh, who passed away suddenly on Tuesday, April 27 in Lausanne, Switzerland. He was 32.

Walsh, a native of Fort McMurray, Alta., played three years for Red Deer College before joining the Dinos for the 1999-2000 and 2000-01 seasons. Under former head coach Greg Ryan, Walsh and the Dinos captured the CIS bronze medal in 2001 following a fifth-place finish at the national tournament in 2000.

“Jon was one of the fastest, most tenacious and deeply competitive athletes that I have had the pleasure to coach,” said Ryan, now the athletic director at the University of Alberta's Augustana Campus in Camrose, Alta. “His work ethic, disciplined, yet fun-loving approach to life made him a pleasure to coach. In the years he played at U of C he supplied leadership and a zeal to compete to the program.”

Current Dinos head coach Rod Durrant was an assistant with Ryan in both years Walsh played at the University of Calgary.

“Not only was Jon a great player and a great teammate, but he had a huge impact on our program after he went to Europe,” said Durrant, who led the Dinos to their first CIS championship since 1993 in 2010. “There are 10 or 12 former Dinos who have gone to play professionally in Europe since he left, and he was a key factor in setting up those opportunities for them.”

Walsh left for Europe immediately following his two years in Calgary, with his professional career taking him first to Germany followed by stints in Portugal, Belgium, and the Netherlands. After retiring in 2007, he became an agent based in Holland and represented professional players in 26 different countries.

-UC-